Electrical regulator.



A. A. TIRRILL. ELECTRICAIREGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 5,19ll- RENiWED APR. 14,1915.

Patented July 20, 1915.

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ALLEN A. TIRBILL, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL REGULATOR.

Application filed October 5, 1911, Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALLEN A. TIRBILL, a citizenof the United States, and a. resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electri cal Regulators, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to electrical regulators, and particularly to regulators of the kind in which the regulation is effected by adjustment of the field excitation of a dynamo-electric machine.

In another application, Serial No. 653,010, fiiled of even date herewith, I have disclosed and claimed an electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, one of which is carried by a lever and actuated bya coil in accordance With variations of the voltage or another electrical condition of a circuit and is, at the same time, vibrated, and the other contact member of which is resiliently mounted and provided with an inclined contact face. In order that the engaging surfaces of the contact members may be of extreme hardness and always clean and free fromoxid coatings, they are usually made of iridium, which is very expensive, particularly when obtained in relatively long "pieces, such as are necessary for the inclined contact members.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a structure in which the use of a long and expensive inclined contact member is avoided.

The single figure of the accompanying drawing diagrammatically illustrates a system of distribution embodying a regulator constructed in accordance with the present invention. 4

A system in connection with which the present invention may be conveniently employed comprises an alternating current generator having an armature 1 that is connected to a suitable distributing circuit 234, and a field magnet winding 5 that is supplied with exciting current from the armature 6 of an exciter. The exciter is provided with a field magnet winding 7 that is preferably shunt-excited. though it may be excited from any other suitable source, and, in series therewith. is a resistor t3, the terminals of which are respectively connect ed to cooperating contact members 9 and 10 of arelay 11, the said contact members Specification of Letters Patent.

provision oi. the slot- Patented July 20, 1915.

653,014. Renewed April 14, 1915. Serial No. 21.448.

being normally maintained out of engagement by means of a spring 12. The relay 11 is provided with an actuating winding 13 that receives current from the eXcit-er, or from any other suitable source, and the circuitof which is controlled by a pair of cooperating contact members 14 and 15 that constitute parts of the main regulating mechanism.

The contact member 14 is mounted upon the free end of a plate-spring 16, the other end of which is clamped to a stationary post 17, oris otherwise resiliently supported. The contact member 15 is mounted upon one end of an arm 18 having a pivotal support at its other end, slot or guide19 for the reception of a pin 20 that is mounted upon one end of a le\cr 21. The lever 21 is actuated by a winding 22 that receives current that is proportional to the voltage of a circuit 2-"4:,through a transformer 23, but, if desired,itmay receive current that is proportional to any other electrical quantity of the said circuit. The winding 22 is provided with a core 25 that is suspended from the lever 21, and the weight of thesaid core is partially countor-balanced by means of an adjustable counter-weight 26. The movements of the core 25 and the lever 21 and their attached parts are preferably somewhat retarded by means of a dash pot 27. As the voltage of the circuit 23-l varies, the core 25 is moved up and down, and, by reason of the and pin-connection between the lever 21 and the arm 18. the dis tance of the contact member 15 from the member 14 is correspondingly varied The lever 21 is pivotally supported by the substantially vertical arm of a beamcrank lever 29 having a stationary fulcrum at 30 and carrying a magnetizable core 31 at the end of its other arm. The core 31 is SUI- roundcd by an actuating coil 32 that re- (:clVQS current from the distributing circuit 2-3---4., or from any other suitable source, and the circuit of which is governed by on operating contact members 33 and 3-1 of a relay the movements of the core 31 and assochited parts being preferably somewhat retarded. by means of a dash pot'36. A spring 37 serves to normally ma ntain the contact members 14 and 15 in eigag ment. The relay is provided w h an actuating winding 353 that is connected in parallel and having also an inclined.

with the winding 13 of the relay 11 in order tha its circuit may be controlled in a similar manner.

The manner in which the regulator operates will be bestunderstood from a detailed considc 'ation thereof. 11 the voltage of the circuit 2-'3+ becomes reduced, as, for instance, because of an increase of load, the winding 22 becomes somewhat less strongly energized and the core 25 is correspondingly lowered, with the result that the contact member 15 is moved slightly closer to the member14. lVhen the circuit of the winding 32 is interrupted, the spring 37 causes the contact member 15 to engage the mem-. ber 14, and the relay-actuating windings 13 and 38 are thereupon energized to cause the contact members 9 and 33 to engage the corresponding members-10 and 34. lVhen the members 9 and 10 engage, a shunt circuit to the resistor 8 is established, followed by an increase in the field excitation and voltage of the exciter and by corresponding increa'sesot' the field excitation and voltage of the main generator. lVhen the voltage of the generator is increased,the winding 22 becomes somewhat more strongly energized, with the result that the contact member 15 is moved slightly a way'from the member 14. When the members 33 and 31 engage, the circuit of the winding 32 is established and the contact member 15 is thereupon moved out of engagement with the member 14, in

' opposition to the tension of the spring 37.

iis

Upon separation of the contact members 1% and 15, the circuit of the actuating windings of the relays is interrupted, followed by interruptions of the shunt-circuit to the resistor S and the circuit of the winding-32.

The field excitations and voltages oi. the

gagement and disengagement of the said.

members depending upon the initial position of the member 15, as determined by 'the voltage of the circuit 2-3-l through thewinding 22. The regulator operates to maintain the. voltage of the circuit 23 t at a substantially unit'orn'i value, or at any desired value, depending upon a predetermined electrical rondition of the circuit.

It will be understood that, by means of simple changes which may be made by anyone skilled in the art, the regulator may be adapted for other purposes than voltage regulation, and may be caused to regulate in accordance with variations of any desired electrical condition of a circuit. It may also be employed for the regulation of direct current machines, as well as for the regulation of alternators.

I claimas my invention:

1. An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, an arm carryin one of said members and having an inclinec guide, an actuating lever for said arm having a member operating in said guide, a second lever providing a fulcrum for the aforesaid lever, and means for actuating the said levers.

2. An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, a mo 'able support for one of said members, an actuating lever for the support having an inclined slot-and-pin connection therewith, a second lever providing. a fulcrum for the aforesaid lever, and actuating means for the said levers. I

3. An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, a movable support for one of said-members. a substantially horizontal actuating lever for the support having an inclined slot-and-pin connection therewith, a second lever having a substantially vertical arm providing a fulcrum for the aforesaid lever, and actuating means for the saidlevers. v 1

4. An electrical regulator comprising (ooperating contact members, a movable support for one of said members, an actuating lever for the support, a second lever providing a. fulcrum for the aforesaid lever, and actuating means for the levers.

An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, a movable support for one of said members, an actuating lever for the support having a cam connection therewith, a second lever providing a fulcrum for the aforesaid lever, and actuating means for the said levers.

C. An electrical regulator comprising cooperating contact members, an actuating lever for one of saidmembers having a cam connection therewith, a. second lever providing a fulcrum for the aforesaid lever, and actuating means for the said levers.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 3rd day of Octo- 

